Scope and Content Aerial view of St Magnus Cathedral, Bishop's Palace and Earl's Palace, Broad Street and Palace Road, Kirkwall, Orkney Islands
In the foreground is St Magnus Cathedral which was founded in 1127 by Earl Rognvald Kolsson and dedicated by him to his martyred uncle, Earl Magnus. It is built from local red sandstone, and yellow stone from Eday, one of the North Isles. The cathedral was not completed until at least the 15th century.
Opposite the cathedral to the right is the Bishop's Palace which also dates to the 12th century, apart from the round tower which dates to around 1550. Opposite the cathedral to the left is the Earl's Palace, which is considered to be one of the finest Renaissance palaces in Scotland. Dating to 1607, it was built for Earl Patrick Stewart by forced labour.
Orkney, which lies about 9.6km north of Scotland, consists of a group of about 70 islands, 20 of which are inhabited. The biggest island is known as Mainland. Three-quarters of the population of the islands live on Mainland and it is also where the two main towns of Orkney, Kirkwall and Stromness, are situated.
Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

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